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Mixed Poison
MIXED POISON Episode Two, Season Two, of Rise. Enjoy <3 Mixed Poison I’m not sure how far I’ve run, but I think I’ve lost the Vipers. I don’t quite know where I am right now, but first I duck into a broken down den and wait. I hold my breath, my claws out. Long moments pass before I confirm that the Vipers had taken the wrong turn. I slowly draw myself out and sniff the air before hurrying down the path I was taking. I try to spot landmarks that tell me where I am but I must be in some part of the Twolegplace that I hadn’t hunted around. Too much competition or something. Sure enough, several cats poke their heads out and glare at me. I keep going, not stopping. This seems to convince some of the cats that I’m not here to steal their prey. I make sure to check if any Vipers are nearby before I continue onwards. I finally reroute myself back to my den, but by that time, it’s nearly night and my friends are nowhere to be seen. They won’t be able to find their way back here, and I know the Vipers won’t come back to check. I slip inside the shack and curl up in my old nest, my heart aching. ~ I wake up and the familiarity of the den makes me roll over and except my three sisters to be sleeping peacefully in their own nest. Sara and Cloud would be outside already, doing whatever they did. Disappointment hits me when I see the nest is empty. This past moon wasn’t a dream. It was all real. I pull myself out of the shack and decide that with or without my friends, I had to try to find answers. I drop by to the neighboring den, which was occupied by a young black and white tom called Tommy. “Hey, Bryce,” Tommy greets me, “what brings you here?” “Have you heard of the Vipers?” Tommy frowns, “I’ve heard others mention them but I have no idea who they are and what they want. I’m not sure if they’re around here in the Twolegplace.” They seem to meddle here. I shrug. “What about the Coalition?” Tommy glances at me curiously, “No, why? Why do you even know those names?” “I’ve been around,” I flick my tail and start to back away. There was no point in letting Tommy know more than he needs to. “Thanks for the info!” Tommy just stares after me, obviously bewildered. I wander the streets of the Twolegplace, not sure what to do. Younger cats like Tommy probably didn’t know anything about the warring societies just outside the walled city. My interrogation with Tommy kind of proved that. But older cats… Maybe Sara and Cloud had known something about it. Did Korin have them killed simply they were in the way or did he know something about the old couple? And my parents? Smokey had been obviously murdered. I remember the crisscrossed wounds and the way he had collapsed, wearing a pelt of blood. Someone had done that to him. My mother… Aura had been sick before she had died. But I remember walking in and seeing her there, head tipped back, a clean cut across her throat. I take a shuddering breath. I find myself aimlessly wandering the Twolegplace, only occasionally stopping to catch something to eat before continuing onwards. I’m not too sure where I’m going. Just anywhere but my den. I crash at an empty den, not even too sure what I’m trying to accomplish. ~ I wander for the next few days until I finally clear my head and seek out someone of age that I had known. Sara and Cloud had introduced me to the elderly tom and I was certain he would know something. “Hello, Bryce,” the tom purrs, “what brings you to my place after so many moons?” “I was wondering if you had heard of the terms ‘Vipers’ and ‘Coalition’.” Sam, the tom, frowns, “Young cats like you should have no involvement with such societies, Bryce.” “Why?” I demand, leaning forward. “Warring societies, that’s what they are,” Sam shakes his head, “Several cats get involved with them but none of their stories end well. What do you want to know about them?” His pale eyes are focused on me. I swallow. “Are they…involved in Twolegplace business?” “Not the Coalition,” Sam shakes his head, “They’re probably the average cat’s allies. If you need someone to go to, they’re your cats.” I find myself nodding in agreement, but thankfully Sam doesn’t question why. “But the Vipers, they are the opposite. They’ve been involved in Twolegplace business because they’ve been trying to overcome the Blood Army.” “Excuse me?” I wince, “The Blood Army?” Sam gives me a long look. “Pray you never have to come in contact with the Blood Army, Bryce. Stay far away from them and their business.” I shiver. “Who are they?” “The Blood Army are in charge of the stocks and the supplies of the Twolegplace. They are the army force of this place and I hear they are building an army to crush the Vipers.” “So allies?” I ask tentatively. I don’t quite like the sound of ‘Blood Army’ and I doubt that is a name of an ally. “No,” Sam says in a hushed voice, “the Blood Army is no one’s ally.” I’m not reassured at all but Sam sits back. “That’s all I can give you, Bryce, without risking my own life or putting you in danger. You must tread quietly around the Blood Army as you never know when they’ll make their move.” I thank the elderly tom and back out of his den. I found a piece of what I was looking for, but perhaps there was a lot more to this answer than Sam was willing to tell me. It’s by luck I stumble upon a few of Sara’s old friends. Presidia waves at me from a distance. I wave back and hurry over to them. “What brings you around here, Bryce?” The pretty cream colored she-cat purrs, “You stopped hunting around here for awhile now.” “I’ve been around,” I shrug the question off, “what are those plants for?” I ask, noticing the stack of different, multi-colored plants. “Stocks,” Presidia’s friend, Calypso, nudges them, “we’re trading them for prey.” Last time I had checked, they hadn’t been involved with stocks and the trading system. “Stocks?” I echo, “When did you guys do stocks?” “Since half a moon ago,” Calypso sighs, “prey is so hard to get nowadays, since the Blood--” Presidia nudges her hard enough for her to stumble to the side. I narrow my eyes at the gesture and the cream colored she-cat tries to cover up the act. “Prey is just hard to get,” she says tightly, “stocks are the easiest way to get prey.” “It’s the Blood Army, isn’t it?” Calypso blanches and Presidia scowls. “How do you know that name?” “I’ve been around,” I frown at the pair, “Why is it such a big deal to say the name? What exactly are these cats doing?” Presidia waves her tail. “Keep your voice down!” Calypso whispers in a hushed voice. “They’ve been hoarding the prey so more cats would get involved in the stocks. It’s quite easy, you just gather random plants and pass them off for prey. They decide how much prey the stock is worth and you get your amount.” “And how much is that?” I ask suspiciously, noticing the lack of a fresh-kill pile for the she-cats. “One or two pieces per stack,” Presidia mutters, looking disgusted, “It’s easier than hunting but not by much.” I point at the stack. “May I?” Presidia nods and so does Calypso. I pad forward and shuffle through the stack of unfamiliar plants. I wish Terran or Karina were here, because they would probably be able to identify some of these plants. “Are these all herbs?” “No,” Calypso shakes her head, “most of them are just rare plants that are seen growing on patches of grass in front of Twoleg dens.” “They’ll take anything,” Presidia agrees, “especially if it’s rare. You get more prey if they’ve never seen the plant before. Though it’s getting harder and harder, and I hear cats are going to the forests to find plants.” “The forests?” I stop looking through the plants, “That’s where the Vipers and the Coalition are.” Calypso stiffens. I glance at the gray she-cat and notice how tense she is. “Calypso?” “Bryce, where have you been the past moon? No normal Twolegplace she-cat your age should know anything about these groups of cats.” “That doesn’t matter,” I dismiss it, “please, I need this information. It’s more important than you may think it is.” Presidia purses her lips. “We can’t tell you, Bryce, I’m sorry.” I glance at Calypso, who looks crestfallen. She shakes her head once and I sag. “Alright, I understand.” I don’t, but I get the feeling the Blood Army would kill them if they leaked the word about this mysterious group anywhere. Especially to a forest cat (I guess I count as one now). I thank the two she-cats anyways and slip out of the den. I study my surroundings. Would it help for me to gather stocks myself? But I don’t want to get involved to the point where the Blood Army expects me to keep supplying them in exchange for prey. Stopping by an old hunting spot, I catch a squirrel before settling down under the shade of a tree to eat. As I dig into the prey, movement catches me eye. I glance up and notice a flash of bright amber fur. My breath catches in my throat and I can almost see the amber eyes. I abandon my prey and hurry over. “Ruby!” I call out, my heart pounding desperately. But the amber she-cat turns and I let out a scream. Her eyes had lost all of its color, amber eyes faded until it was nearly pale yellow. There was no light in her eyes and I notice the foam and the blood near her mouth. She topples forward and I jump back. There are no signs of injury on her and I can’t see what made caused her death except the obvious indication that she had been poisoned. My vision swims and I stumble backwards. The she-cat was obviously not Ruby, but what had happened here frightened me. Who would do this to someone and why? My squirrel is gone, probably taken by some poor, hungry and desperate cat. I barely notice though, and my appetite is gone. Memories of my mother’s illness flashes in my brain and I remember the way she had hacked, how her bright blue eyes had slowly lost its color. She hadn’t died from her illness because someone had come in and murdered her instead. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths before heading away from the scene. I couldn’t take it anymore. I don’t know when I start to run, but I run until my lungs burned. I ran until I saw the stars and darkness began to envelop me. I trip and fall and land hard on the ground, tears pooling in my eyes. I blink them away but I couldn’t see anything anyways. I lay there, unsure where I was and felt myself dangle over a pit of darkness. I let myself fall. The End. Category:Fan Fictions Category:Cchen3's Fanfics Category:Rise